Coding is, of course, a hugely important area of 21st century education. Whether they're as young as Pre-K or ready to enter college, coding is extremely relevant to almost every student's future. Thankfully, millions of educators and administrators realize the importance of teaching kids to code. Whether it's a curricular requirement or part of an informal school club, programming experiences are amazingly valuable for students. There's also plenty of options, so educators can find something without complicated or pricey features. In this section, you'll see a lot of different topics related to K-12 coding. These include features on particular STEM tools, insights on coding integration, skills students can develop and more. There's also something for teachers of all grade levels. Whether you teach the early grades or have students with the foundation to take the next step, you'll find helpful resources for teaching coding in the classroom.
Coding is truly an experience that all K-12 students can have. Starting in the early grades, students can code screen-free with a tool like the Cubetto Robot. Then, they can start to increase their coding skills and explore Blockly environments using tools like the Dash Robot, Ozobot Evo, and many others. From there, students can explore a bunch of different languages, like Snap!, Scratch, MakeCode, and more and, eventually, expand their skill sets by exploring text-based languages, like JavaScript and Python. All the while, the STEM solutions we advocate for also allow students to learn the most important coding concepts, like loops, variables, inputs, conditionals, and syntax. With a natural progression that leads to increased computer science competencies and enhanced future readiness, it's tough to understate the relevance of coding experiences in the classroom.
Hands-on learning has taken the entire education community by storm. In almost every town and in almost every grade, teachers are ditching the lectures, ditching the desks and embarking on a brand new kind of more meaningful educational experience. And, you know why? Because it works! Keep reading and explore some of the best EdTech tools for this.
We think that everyday should be code day—at least in today’s K-12 schools. It is, however, Code Day in our hometown of Boston—actually Code Weekend if you want to get official as educators and makers around the area are celebrating the power of coding this Saturday and Sunday. And, we’re celebrating with them thanks to our Code Day Sale!
Let’s explore and dissect the importance of a quality math education in developing readiness in today’s students. STEM proficiencies continue to be importa in the modern world and math is no exception. Take a look at how to better set students up for success in and out of the classroom with an increased focus on math and improved instruction
They couldn’t wait to get started and rushed to open the boxes we had received from Eduporium—an educator’s dream for one-stop shopping and the latest STEM classroom technology! We must say that some of the facilitators entered the Makey Makey activity with some trepidation, however, most were curious and excited to explore the possibilities!
We’re sad that this year’s National Robotics Week celebration is nearing its end but that does not mean that learning with robotics needs to! If you ask us, robotics in every classroom should be a year-round thing—after school and even during the summer—not just one week in April! We’ll try to share some ideas for achieving this and starting up
As you might have guessed, I was surprised when I learned that its Ozoblockly software could actually command this tiny bot to execute a bunch of different actions on the spot—all the way from swerving to spinning and responding to color-coded cues! Learn how the original Ozobot model set the tone for coding instruction.
Teaching with technology can be intimidating for some teachers, especially if they are new to it, feel the pressure from society or lack the creative ideas for weaving the products into the curriculum. It’s okay to feel that kind of anxiety though—in fact, it’s perfectly normal! Just remember that there’s no wrong way to explore teaching with technology.
Technology is not something tangible you can pick up and put down as you please. It’s not a defined, solid object. And, as the world transitions into a tech-first approach to solving many of its most pressing problems, technology is no longer an option. It’s a tool that can be used to solve these daily problems and students need additional
Coding is a central skill that’s becoming more and more necessary in order for workers to thrive in this increasingly technological era. It’s on its way to (if it has not already) becoming a worldwide language—and an undeniable component of global culture. So, recently, enthusiasm for teaching coding skills in the classroom has grown—a lot—and kids are benefitting.
There are so many things that contemporary teachers have to account for and many of them—like personalizing learning, teaching coding and using technology—are still all very new. Luckily for them, we have a bunch of sound advice for helping to get today’s students ready for today’s increasingly complex world!